A king's queen
by DanielaRossi
Summary: Max is tired of Casey always being so chaste and uptight, and complains to his teammates about it one day at school. What he doesn't know is, a certain stepbrother is listening... and determined to change that fact.
1. Chapter 1

There were times when Casey would actually contemplate the idea of telling him that she could hear him through the vents. All the time. _Every night_. But for some reason she'd just keep lying on her bed, pretending not to notice what would be going on in his room. She knew she could tell her parents. She could get him grounded for ages. She could screw him and his secret night's activities. Yet, she'd only ever do as much as listen to him, her eyes wide open in the darkness of her room, all night long.

"Derek, wait…"

She heard him groan, as he was still trying to catch his breath. "What is it Sally?"

Both their voices were coming in raspy whispers, and Casey froze, fearing the girl could've possibly figured out someone was listening. She tightly gripped the covers of her bed, swallowing hard as she waited for Sally to go on.

"I can't go on like this, Derek. Sneaking around at night. I…"

"Couldn't you just wait for me to finish before talking about…"

"Derek! I'm done!"

"Keep it down, for Pete's sake! The whole family is sleeping… no need to get them out of bed already!"

They were silent for quite some time and Casey was wondering if they'd got back to loving each other, when she heard Derek whisper once more.

"Sal… I never said being my girl was gonna be easy."

"I don't care whether it's difficult or not. I only … sometimes I only wish you actually felt something for me. _Anything, _Der. Anything real."

Casey held her breath as she heard his bed creak, figuring he had pinned her on it. "_This _is real to me. My hands on your body are real. _I _feel real when I'm inside of you_"_ he paused for a second, pleased to hear her moan his name. "I have to feel real, babe. I need this."

"But you don't need _me_."

"I never needed anybody, Sal. And you don't need me either. Me and you… we're pretty much the same, Sal. Don't think you're any better than whom you I think I am."

"It might be true, but I sure don't have so many people to love me just like you do."

"What's the point in people loving you if you don't feel anything?"

Casey bit her lip as she knew she had sighed too hard at his last sentence.

The following morning, Derek was incessantly pounding on the bathroom door, in hope his stepsister would finally get out of the shower. His bed hair was even more of a mess than usual and it fell nonchalantly across his forehead. He stood motionless for a moment, his fist still held high against the door while a cold draft shifted across the room, causing the skin on his bare back to shiver as he was only wearing his boxers.

"Case! Get the hell out of this damn bathroom! Case! You hear me!"

She finally opened the door. Her hair was dripping wet and she only had a white towel wrapped up around her naked body. As soon as he laid eyes on her, he couldn't help but immediately notice how swollen her lips looked, as if her spaced-out gaze wasn't already proof enough that something had been going on in that shower.

"Gosh, Der, how can you already be so harsh at 6:30 in the morning…"

She was already beginning to walk away but he didn' t let her finish the sentence as he tightly took a grip of her elbow, almost causing her towel to fall off.

"What do you think you're doing, Mcdonald?" he muttered, gritting his teeth. Casey's eyes widened with fear, no matter how hard she tried to hide it. "What are you talking about! Let go of me! I'm gonna be late…"

He tightened his grip around her arm, jerking her closer so that their faces were only inches apart. He breathed hard against her skin, amused at how her lower lip was quivering. "I'm the player, here, Case. Don't even think you can fool me. Ever. And most of all, don't you dare to touch yourself again in _my _bathroom."

"What's the matter, Sammy boy?


	2. Chapter 2

"What's the matter, Sammy boy?"

Standing in the doorway to the hockey team's changing room, Sam frowned some more as he saw Derek approaching him with his infamous smirk. "What's the matter? You wanna know what's the matter here? I tell you what it is." Sighing in frustration, Sam stepped aside, so that Derek could see how the floor was beginning to flood with water. "Little plumber here wanted to play with the pipes of the showers!"

"Uh, _excuse me!_" Ralph proudly made his way to where his friends were standing in shock. "I had to know _where_ they got to… duh"

"Ralph! There's this thing called plumbing system! And normal people don't just go wondering about its dynamics! As long as the water goes down the drain, you're not supposed to give a flying crap about it!"

"Language, Venturi!" a man in his 60's walked up to them from behind, putting a hand onto Derek's shoulder to settle him down. "And, Papadapolis…" the coach turned to look at Ralph, who was still smiling widely, not really understanding the full gravity of the situation. "You need pro help. For the school's sake, go see a specialist."

"Yeah, Coach, but right now what do we do? We need a changing room… not all of us want to end up smelling like Derek!"

"Hey, thanks a lot, Sam!"

"Enough you two!" the coach promptly cut Derek off right before he could smack the blonde's arm. "Unfortunately, it might take quite some time to get things here back to normal and make this place look less tsunami-stricken. So, well… I talked to principal Lasseter and he said that you guys will use the football's team changing room in the meanwhile."

Derek and Sam's jaws dropped immediately at the break of the news. No way this was really happening. And most of all, no way Ralph was going to get away with it.

"What the f…"

"For Pete's sake, Venturi, mind your mouth in my presence!"

"What a _fluke…" _Derek breathed out with a fake smile, eyeing Sam sarcastically as they both knew what was in store for them. Hell to say the least.

"Max… Max, wait…" Casey managed out between his heated kisses. He looked up at her with a puzzled expression, hopefully waiting for her to resume their make out session. "Uhm… I think I heard Edwin and Lizzie get hom…"

"Gosh, Casey…" Max sighed heavily, retrieving his hand from beneath her shirt, where it had been wandering about for almost half an hour, fervently grazing her toned stomach and ultimately reaching for her smooth back to try to unclasp her bra. Shifting so that he was resting on his elbow, the muscularly toned boy slapped his forehead in frustration. "Case. There's no one here. There's just you not being ready yet. _As usual."_

"Uh? Pardon?" The brunette blinked several times, her bright blue eyes widening as she tried to get her hair out of the way across her forehead, tucking it behind her ears. "How supportive of you! Excuse me if I want to wait for the perfect moment before…"

"Casey, baby, come on… we both know nothing will ever be perfect enough for your standards!"

"And what is that supposed to mean!"

"Okok, come on." He sat up and quickly brought her into his arms, cupping her face with his hands and kissing the tip of her nose. "Baby… I can't wait to make love to you. I wanna be inside of you more than anything. I love you, so I'll wait. But just know that it's really killing me."

"This stink is killing me, dude!" Derek complained as he and Sam were showering after practice.

"Yeah, me too… who knew the football team's changing room's bathroom could actually smell worse than ours…"

"Sam, you know those scumbags..." Derek got on his toes so that he could have a look at Sam, his head hovering over the wall that separated their two shower cubicles. "I tell you, those…"

"Sh… listen…" the blonde boy trailed him off, motioning him to pay attention to what was going on in the room next to the showers.

"I want to wait for the perfect moment Max!" Max whined mockingly, letting himself collapse onto the changing room bench as his teammates crowded around him.

"So… you're telling me Casey still hasn't given it up to you yet?"

"Yeah! It's been what?… ages! She won't even let me take off her stupid bra! … She's just always so freakishly uptight… She doesn't even know how to fully make out properly! If you kissed her full mouth, you could tell she just doesn't know what to do with her tongue exactly! I really don't know… maybe she thinks she's the only girl in the planet I could possibly have an_ intercourse _with_!"_

"Intercourse?"

"Yeah, that's how she calls fucking. _So _pathetic. Just wait until I'm done with her, and she'll never be like this anymore."

The long walk home was silent for both Sam and Derek, as they kept thinking over what they had just eavesdropped in the changing room. Derek was fidgeting nervously with the keys in his hand, a thoughtful look on his face. Finally he found it in himself to speak up. "So, uhm… should we tell her?"

Sam lifted his head up questioningly. "Uh… tell what? And to whom?"

"Tell Casey that Max turned her and her sexual habits into the changing room's laughingstocks. I mean, we both know that I'm not exactly that… _fond _of my stepsister but I really don't think that being treated like this would be nice for any girl at all…"

Sam's eyes widened, afraid of the seriousness in his friend's eyes. "No,no,no,no,no… and no, Derek. We're not going to mess up with the football team's captain right _now _that we share the same changing room. It's already hard to stay civil as it is now, no need to make it worse. And… no. You _are_ that fond of her."


	3. Chapter 3

Lizzie had just got home from school, a few locks of her hair falling gracefully on her nape from a messy bun. "Hey Der!"

She smiled at him as she dropped the keys on the small wooden table in the foyer. He was lying back on his recliner, staring blankly ahead of him, as he barely registered her presence. Figuring something was clearly up in his mind, she walked past him to sit on the couch right beside his arm chair. "Uhm, so… do Mom and George know you got home from school earlier or do you want this to be our dirty little secret?"

He shrugged, a thoughtful expression on his face. Turning over to face his stepsister, he stared at her for a few seconds, raising an eyebrow as he was still contemplating whether to trust Lizzie on this one or just pretend like nothing was going on and hope she'd buy it. But then again, he knew the kid was too smart for that. He'd always liked her. She sort of had the Derek attitude, and was mostly nothing like the other McDonald's. And plus, he knew she could've come in handy for what he had in mind.

"Uhm… well, let's say I was not supposed to be here yet but… well, you know, Ralph messed with the pipes in our changing room and now we have to use the football team's… That sucks."

"Woah…" her eyes grew bigger as she sincerely felt sorry for him. "That must be awful…"

"UH!" Derek let out a small laugh. He knew the kid would've probably been one of the very few people to be able to understand the full gravity of the situation. "Thank goodness, I was starting to think I was the only one to see just how fucked up this is!"

"No, Derek. I can feel your pain… So… how long is this gonna last for?"

"I don't know. I really have no idea actually."

"I see… Well, look, I know it's a drag, but you can't just skip practice because of what happened. Just hang out in the changing room for as little as possible and everything will be fine. And you won't have to deal with Max and his clique."

"Woah, woah, slow down…" Derek eyed her suspiciously, unsure of what to say next. "Uhm… I never mentioned Max. Especially not as a problem."

"Der, come on. I'm not Casey."

Derek furrowed his eyebrows some more. Maybe this kid was too smart, afterall. "And I'm lost here, I guess. What do you mean?"

"That I'm not clueless. We all know Max plays a _major _role in defining the problem."

He suddenly stood up from his recliner, his head ready to explode. No way he was letting her psychoanalyze him. "Uh, no, Liz, trust me. That scumbag means little to nothing to me. I'm just…"

"Derek." She stood up too, standing still in front of him for a few seconds before she broke eye contact and started heading towards the kitchen. "Der. Trust me. That moron is nothing you should worry about."

He followed her, a puzzled look on his face as he knew the kid was trying to subtly imply something with that. "Well… you know, the thing is, I'm not worried for me. I just… Let's just say I sort of know that he's not really being a good boyfriend for Casey."

Lizzie had just opened the fridge when she simply turned around, rolling her eyes and raising an eyebrow at him. "Please: has he ever been that?"

Derek leaned forward to grab the milk carton. "Uh… Yes? Maybe?"

"Derek, if Casey was actually your sister and you had to listen to all her drama like I do, you'd certainly know he's never been the right one for her. So no big news."

He stood still for a minute, letting himself take in each word she had just said. Lizzie was right. Casey was definitely no sister to him. But the point was, there had been times, when he'd find himself lying motionless, alone in the darkness of his room, that he'd feel like he had no family at all other than Marti. And he would always stifle a bitter laughter to that, realizing how alone he'd feel in such a crowded household. Now that was exactly what Casey would've called an oxymoron. Derek Venturi, the guy who couldn't last longer than a week without a girlfriend by his side, had been secretely withdrawing himself from feeling the slightest bit of affection towards anyone, and he didn't even know why. Sometimes he'd wonder when the world simply stopped being bright for him. Or when he first gave up trying to make his father proud, or taking pleasure from fighting with that hell of a stepsister of his like he once used to. Dullness. Dullness and emptiness were simply driving a knife into his brain, lately. But now, now he felt like he was finally slightly compelled to do something new and definetely more exciting than his usual sneaking around with Sally at night. Now he was finally feeling like the old Derek again. "But what if this time I just… by chance… uhm… I don't know, God forbid… try to make things better for her?"

Lizzie immediately froze, as pure concern washed over her and her eyes almost bulged out of their sockets. "Uh, Der? He's not beating her up, is he?"

"Duh, no, he's not. Nothing like that. It's just that back in the changing room I heard him telling his teammates how Casey… well, uhm, how old are you again?"

"She won't give it up to him?"

Now it was Derek's turn to drop his jaw. "Uh, kiddo… you scare me, you know that right? But uhm, anyways, yeah, that's basically it. So Max is turning her into the school's laughstock."

"That bastard…" Lizzie looked around herself, waiting to come up with an idea to solve the problem, when she caught on the implicit meaning of what Derek had previously said. "Uh Der… wait a minute… how are _you_ supposed to make things better for her? Don't tell me you're gonna beat the guy up… you'd have every right to, but trust me, that spoiled brat would make such a fuss out of it… definitely not worth it to get in a mess over him. Just tell Casey."

"She won't believe me. And plus, Max is right. In a certain way."

"What?" Lizzie stared at him in horror, unsure of what to expect next, as the grimace on Derek's face shocked her.

"Liz. Maybe you're too young to understand this but…"

"Or maybe I'm just feeling too disgusted to…"

"Loosen up a bit would be good for Casey. I sure as hell don't mean that she should sleep around with random people. And I honestly don't think she should even sleep with Max either. I mean, he's trash. But I sort of think that Casey should just get rid of all her fears. And learn to break some of her rules sometimes. To just basically let go, you know. Just a bit. She can't always be that uptight all the time. She'll have a nervous breakdown before she's even 20 if she keeps being like this."

"Der. That's not the point. I've seen Casey losing it. She does know how to break through her limits when she wants to. She has hormones too, for Pete's sake. Sometimes she just needs to be reminded she is a normal human being too, though. And I think the only person in the world that does know how to get her all heated up and just… set her on fire with one word…"

"Kid, you're too young to be saying such things. And plus, I think we ran out of Clark Kent's for this century, you know…"

"Der, don't be silly. We all know who this someone is."

x-x

"Hey Klutz."

He just barged into her room without knocking, as usual. Casey had just got home from her ballet lesson and was stretching her legs sitting on the floor, trying to no avail to ease the tension in her calves. She looked up to him, unawaringly gasping at the sight in front of her.

"Der-ek! What do you want! And what have you got against putting a shirt on before…?"

She found herself unable to finish the sentence. His hard toned muscles rolled beneath his light skin with his every movement as he stopped right in front of her, hovering over her tiny figure to reach for something on the desk behind her. He paused for a few seconds, his strong abs only a couple of inches away from her lips, as he looked down to study her expression.

Her breathing was irregular, coming out in raspy pants. She tentatively turned her head up to look at him, her cheeks blushing hard when she saw a familiar smirk make its way across his face.

"What… what do you need, Derek?"

With long, slow motions, he kneeled down in front of her and allowed his eyes to deliberately fixate on her full lips. "What do you think I could possibly need from you, Case?"

Derek felt himself being simply amused at the sight of her furrowing eyebrows casting a shadow over her face, her features displaying utter confusion. He took his time to have a look at her whole figure, his eyes burning on her exposed skin as she was only wearing a sweat shirt and some short pants.

"I don't… I don't know Derek. Just… take what you want and get out." She was trying her best to sound resolute, pretty much to no avail as her last sentence only caused him to lean forward some more, breathing hard against her face.

"Oh well, Case, I wish I could just do that right away. But unfortunately I only came here to get a pen."

"A… a pen?" Her eyes almost bulged out of their sockets as he reached out to rub small circles with his thumbs on her left calf. The contact of her fingers brushing her bare skin sent several shivers down her spine, as if the core of her body was freezing yet burning at the same time, a tingling sensation she had never felt before.

"Oh, Case, how could you get your muscles so screwed up? Your calves are hard as stone. You might not agree to this one, but trust me, hockey actually did teach me some useful stuff other than just smashing people around the rink. Now just lay on your bed, I'll help you easing your muscles." He smiled twistedly, offering his hands out to her to help her up.

Casey realized she had just stood up somewhat by instinct, silently following Derek as he motioned her to the bed. There she lay, and he sat on the edge, taking one of her legs in his hands, as he began to work on her calf muscle, firmly rubbing small circles on it.

Casey just stared at him, mesmerized. Her mind was blank. All she could think about was just how Derek's flawless skin made him look as perfect as a wax statue, and how, with only the lamp on her nightstand to enlighten the room, his whole face looked golden, just like the curls in his hair.

Her breathing had slowed down, and he could sense her whole body was finally relaxing thanks to his massage.

"How long has it been since you last gave yourself time to chillax, Case?"

She closed her eyes, exhaling slowly, almost as if she was letting out a sigh. "Is that really important?"

"'Cause your calves are actually not the only part of your body to suffer from some major tension."

His hands worked their way up to her thigh, feeling the goosebumps she was starting to get as his fingers brushed ever so gently against her smooth skin.

Out of the blue something in Casey's mind clicked. She suddenly sat up, retrieving from his touch. Slightly panting, she simply stared at him, frowning. "Uhm, wait, just… why do you care, Derek? What do you think you were doing?" She stood up and started to pace back and forth around the room, nervously. "Just… just I'm tired, Derek. I'm just… not up to any of your pranks, ok? Just… leave. Please."

For one split second, Casey actually believed she had seen pure hurt on her stepbrother's face. But then again, there he was, acting like himself again as his infamous smirk appeared once more on his face.

"Unlike you, princess, I always know exactly what I'm doing"

**A.N. =Alright guys, I know this took me sooooo damn long to write down, but I have major finals here so I'm so screwed and loaded with school work…**

**Well, hope you liked the chapter, don't forget to review, you'd make my day…**


	4. Chapter 4

Sally tried to follow the intricate paths of the red veins flaring in his eyes. "Derek…"

He unwillingly broke eye contact and tried to get up from where he was lying next to her. His heartbeat pounding so harshly in his ears suddenly reminded him of the many times he had knocked with the same, desperate urge on his mom's door, when he was still a kid and had first found out she was moving to Spain with her new fiancé. Such memories poisoned him even more than the weed in his bloodstream, so it was only a few split seconds before he couln't keep himself balanced anymore, and fell right back onto the matrass. His hand was still involuntarily twitching as he reached out for her soothing touch, his gaze searching her face once again.

"Derek, I don't think you're ok."

He bit his lip nervously, as he tentatively snuggled into her welcoming embrace, resting his head on her lap.

"What do you mean? I just smoked pot. That's all, Sals. I've been like this before. It's ok baby."

"Derek. I mean this. Please look at me." He buried his head even more into her. "Please. Derek. Look up."

She grew quiet as she simply allowed herself to stroke his hair ever so gently, almost surprised at how fragile he looked at that very moment. "You never tell me what's going on with you. What's ever been in your mind. Der, you've been smoking weed almost every day these last two months. And sometimes when… when we have sex and… you're about to come, I… sometimes I can tell you just want to burst into tears right there and then and I…"

"Sally. Please. Please don't."

"Just why won't you let me in…"

He tried his best to lift himself up, placing both his hands on the bed to support his weight. He looked up only to find her crying face staring deeply into his eyes. "Why do you care about me, Sal?"

She suddenly looked down as she opened her mouth as if to say something, but no sound was heard. "I…"

"No, Sal. You know that wouldn't be true."

She violently shook her head, a few more tears escaping her eyes. "It's just because… I… You're never really there anyways."

They both grew quiet as he took her into his arms, allowing the both of them to lay still on her bed once again.

She nuzzled her head into the crook of his neck, but he could feel she was still silently crying. For the first time ever, he was actually feeling sorry for his girlfriend and for how miserable he was making her. He began to wonder when he last felt his eyes get watery for some other reason, way deeper, than the THC running through his veins. Or when he last allowed himself to cry the shit out of his damn system.

x-xg

When he got home that night, it was way past his curfew, so he expected George and Nora to be waiting up for him in the living room and more than ready to ground him for a week. Instead he stepped into the foyer to apparently find no one in the house.

"Uh, hello? Dad? Nora?"

He heard some footsteps echoing from Casey's room, and it was not too long before she got down the stairs to greet him. "Hey Der, glad to see you got home. Uhm, in fact I…"

He sighed, visibly annoyed as he rubbed the back of his neck. "Yeah, whatever. Where are the 'rents?"

"Well, they had to get Lizzie and Edwin to the airport for their school trip to Ottawa. Their flight takes off at midnight, so I guess Mom and George won't be back for another two hours. Uhm…"

"Uh, I could've stayed out for longer! Dammit!" He turned around to grab his leather jacket from his recliner, putting it back on as he began to walk towards the door.

"Wait!" She yelled out, taking a hold of his wrist. "You can't leave…"

"Why not? Is Marti still up?"

"No, but…"

"Then keep an eye on her for me, k? See ya…"

"Derek, please, you don't understand, you have to stay…"

As his infamous smirk made its way across his face, it finally dawned on him how that could've been the perfect chance to mess up with her some more like he had been intending to, lately. He actually felt a wave of excitement rush over his body as he looked down to see her delicate fingers were still clutching his wrist. "And why is that, McDonald?" he breathed out as he got visibly closer to his stepsister, her tiny figure looking even smaller as she was wearing some baggy pink pj's. "I thought we both knew how you can keep yourself very good company as it is."

She deliberately got even closer, their faces only inches apart while she whispered "Der, please, you don't understand, there's…"

"DEREK! My man!"

They both gasped and turned around, only to see Max walking down the stairs, with only his jeans on. After having stopped next to her, he slid an arm over Casey's shoulders, snuggling her closer and kissing her temple. "See baby? I told you he was not gonna stay. And Derek… Don't worry, _I'_ m here to keep her company. She'll be more than fine. Didn't you have somewhere you had to go to?"

Derek smirked, amused at the scene. For one split second, the thought of actually leaving her home alone with Max yet to be pleased really did cross his mind. He did want to leave her to deal on her own with whatever she had got herself into. He did want her not to have an excuse to back out this time. And most of all, he _was_ beyond tired to be the one to always save her, and never get any credit for that.

But one last look at Casey's frightened expression as she kept mouthing him not to go, and Derek simply knew he just couldn't leave her like that. She was scared, she was damn scared and all he could think about was how much of a scumbag Max was for not noticing. Or maybe he did notice, but couldn't care less, so that made him even more of a scumbag.

"Uh, you know what, Max, uhm, I think I'll be having a girl over too tonight. Parents are out, I might just want not to let such a chance pass by. And plus, Casey, I got a science project due for tomorrow _and _just couldn't bring myself down to it. How about, I don't tell a soul, expecially not Dad or Nora, that you were having your boyfriend over while being home alone, and you do this project and all my homework for a week? Sounds like a fair trade to me."

"What?" Max hissed, his muscular, toned body tensing as anger suddenly rushed over him. He tightened his grip around Casey's arm, abruptly turning her around to face him. "Uh, babe? You can't let him treat you like this! Y' know… just blackmail him with the same thing! He's having someone over too anyways!"

She mumbled something, but he didn't bother to listen as he turned around to face Derek once more. "Dude, what the fuck. You can have all the fun you want with your whore and I can't? I was here first!"

Derek grinned even wider. "I don't even want to know what that was supposed to mean anyways. This is my place, end of the story. Get the fuck out or I'll have to kick your ass all the way to the porch."

"What the…" Max angrily spat as he began to walk towards Derek, before Casey stopped him by grabbing his arm.

"Max, wait. Please, no fighting. I'd be dead if my parents found out you've been here while I was home alone. Please. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Whatever."

Casey simply stood there watching her boyfriend storm out of her house, slamming the door. He was fairly mad and she figured she'd have to deal with that in the morning. She wondered whether this could have been a no turning back point for her and Max, as he'd never left without a goodbye kiss, not even after one of their many fights. She realized she had been panting the whole time and tried her best to get her breathing to its normal pace again. Then, all of a sudden, she only felt herself fade into numbness. All the feelings that had built up within her in such a short time – fear, anxiety, anger – simply subsided as her gaze fixated onto the shut door.

She was shaken out of her thoughts as she saw Derek walking past, motioning her to follow him. As the two of them headed to the kitchen, she tried to think about what to say to thank him for catching on. She couldn't really think straight at the moment and plus words were never right enough when it came to Derek anyways. So she just blurted out the first thought that crossed her mind.

"Thank you, Der. Really. I just… couldn't. I don't know…"

He was trying to fix himself a sandwich on the counter but lifted his head to look at her as soon as he heard her voice crack. Small tears were forming into her eyes.

"Case, c'mon. It's ok. It really is. I…" he moved to sit next to her by the counter. "Case. Look at me." He lifted her chin up so that he was finally looking into bright blue. "Case. Don't ever. EVER. Let anyone pressure you into do anything you don't want to do. Ok?"

She nodded slightly, tried her best to compose herself. "Yeah but Der, he's… Sometimes I think he's right. I'm seventeen. And so is he. He says he has needs and i… I just... Please. We're home alone. I won't tell anyone. I just… I'm so sad and there's no one… Can you hug me for a bit? Just a bit, Der?"

He gave her a weak smile as he finally brought her into his arms, letting her choke her sobs into his chest, comforting her for the first time in three years. He held her firmly, as he tentatively raised his hand to gently stroke her hair, his fingers softly intertwining with her curls. Casey immediately locked her arms around his small back and at that very moment, he realized he hadn't held another – at least fully clothed- human being in such a long time, that having someone affectionately clinging onto him felt like a whole new sensation he simply wasn't used to anymore. He allowed himself to thoroughly take in her vanilla scent, and actually let the warmth of her body against his sink deep into him.

He found himself feeling so light, his consciousness floating in the sweetest way that not even drugs could give him. From time to time he'd catch glimpses of little sparkles into her hair, and when she pulled away from the hug to cup his face, he simply realized they had to be his own tears.

"Derek, what… why are you crying?"

He closed his eyes, unwilling to let go of the feeling her soothing touch was giving him. " I don't know. Sally says I'm not ok."

"Derek, you… you smell like…"

"How do you know what pot smells like, Case?"

She immediately retrieved her hand, gasping in shock as he slightly opened his eyes to stare back at her.

"Oh my gosh. Der…"

"It's ok. It just… makes me feel real. I've been, sort of, uhm… having problems, feeling real, lately."

She let a huge breath out as she brought her hand to her face, wondering how in the world she didn't notice. His eyes were bloodshot every night when he'd come on and she felt punching herself for actually buying the crap he'd sell the family about how fatigue from hockey practice was making him look tired. The smell in his room, nothing like his own sweat she was so used to. His hand twitching.

"Der. I…"

"Before you go ahead. I swear. You try and tell the 'rents… and you'll finally be the end of me. For real. But I don't care. They could get me shipped to a military boarding school and I still couldn't care less. That's the point. I don't care anymore, Case."

**A.N: Alright guys, I know, I know it's been such a long time, but I had finals and all and was very stressed over school. Thank goodness I'm done with high school! *_* But university is starting in two weeks so AAAAHH help me out here :D**

**So I know this chapter was pretty much a downer but I'm planning on giving Derek's character some depth as he's usually portrayed like a carefree non problematic person lol :D thought I just wanted to try something new lol :D**

**Hope you liked this and don't worry, chpt 5 will be up soon AND involving some major sexual tension lol :D**


	5. Chapter 5

Derek lay motionlessly on the bed, fidgeting with the hem of his night shirt. It was six in the morning and despite all the pot from the night before, he hadn't been able to close his eyes once ever since he had finally managed to shut himself in his room. He repeatedly tried to figure out what was it that had been haunting him all night, and the lack of answers scared him even more.

He barely registered his shocked stepsister running away on him after his blunt revelation, and truth to be told, he couldn't be more glad that – thank goodness - no further conversation had followed his confession.

He sat up all of a sudden, ruffling a hand through his hair. Vulnerability was nothing he ever thought he would have to deal with. Derek Venturi had learnt long before to watch his every move, never even contemplating the possibility of mistakenly let himself get somewhat exposed.

Specifically, not with Casey.

He knew from day one that the girl had too much of a caring attitude for his liking. Any intimate talking with her would've meant having his stepsister trying to psychoanalyze him for the rest of his life, trying to get to the bottom of all the dark matter he knew was better kept buried.

Yet there he was, still wondering how he could let himself slip up so dangerously. With none other than Casey. Of course he wasn't scared about her possibly telling on him to the parents. He had stopped dreading anything George and Nora had the power to do since long before.

It was the unexpected turn that things with Casey were mostly going to take, that truly troubled him. Telling her he was doing drugs was probably the worst thing he could've possibly come up with. There sure as hell was no taking it back, but Derek just couldn't help but think this was not how things were supposed to be. He was supposed to be the one knowing a secret about Casey, not the other way around. But most of all, he was definitely not supposed to be giving her any reason to feel whatsoever sympathy for him. That was certainly going to get in the way of his plan to awake her sexual instincts.

He was supposed to still be his usual charming self, a façade harder than his abs.

It had only taken one, single, unexpected, excrutiatingly genuine hug to get _the _Derek Venturi come crumbling down.

x-x

"Casey, honey, are you alright?"

Shaken out of her thoughts, the brunette quickly turned around to face her mother, sitting in front of her at the counter. "Uh, pardon?"

Nora put down her spoon, a reassuring smile creeping up across her face. "You just look… thoughtful. Is everything ok, sweety?"

"No, don't worry, Mom. Just a bit worried for this major test I have today. That's all." Casey smiled back, sighing in relief upon realizing her mother actually bought it, as no further questions came along.

Her gaze wandered over the room as she furrowed her eyebrows, the feeling of its emptiness suddenly rushing over her. This was probably the first time she had ever had breakfast with just George and Nora. Derek had offered to drive Marti to school earlier than usual, so that they could call Edwin and Lizzie before class, as the little girl was eager to remind the two to buy her some special candy from Ottawa.

Derek's vacant seat at the far end of the counter seemed to draw Casey's attention every now and then. She kept recalling the events from the night before, unsure of what to think: she simply knew he was going to avoid her for the rest of the day too.

A violent stream of unsolved questions kept rushing through her mind, and his absence made it all the more real. She just wanted to talk to him. To look in his eyes and hopefully not find the same, horrifying darkness from the night before. Or just to have the guts to ask him when was it the last time he had been hugged for real. Or why did he help her with Max.

Max…

"So we left you the list on the fridge, k?"

Casey shook herself once more, her eyes swiftly darting to George this time. "What list?"

"Of the chores to do? Have you been listening to anything I said, Casey?"

"Uh… actually not that much. Told you, guys, big test coming up. I'm sorry, George. Can you repeat, please?"

"Me and Nora are going out for dinner tonight. We left a list of some chores for you and Derek to do – by the way, make sure my son does his part too, please. Is that ok?"

Casey nodded slowly, trying not to focus on all the scenarios running in her mind.

x-x

Casey let out a heavy sigh as she finally shut the house door behind herself her back leading against the wooden surface for a few seconds.

Walking home had never taken her as long as it did that day. She could feel her delicate features fade into a dull, horribly blank expression, eyes fixated onto the wall right in front of her. She couldn't move. It was as if she thought any other sudden swift of air on her skin would've finally sent her crumbling down for real. She simply felt frozen. Caught forever into that very moment when you eventually realize there's no one left to blame for something that even _you_ are too tired to feel sorry for. When you find out that all the wrongs have been waiting for you right behind your eyelids, just when you only feel like sleeping forever.

Max had ignored her the whole day, shooting Casey some angry glances from time to time as he caught her repeatedly staring at him back in the canteen. She even tried to confront him later on during the day. Emily had actually talked into finding the guts to go right up to his locker to talk to him. Casey had pleaded for his attention by gently taking a hold of his arm, but he had shook himself free from her grasp with such force that she had almost fallen backwards to the ground.

"Don't touch me again until you finally do it in my way"

Those words, the look on his face, the feeling of utter humiliation as she feared someone could've heard him… all that much hurt was all built up in her chest yet she just couldn't feel herself on the verge of tears. All she was actually focusing on at the moment, was trying to get her body to move from where she was standing in the foyer.

"Smerek! Casey's home! She doesn't look ok though…"

The sound of Marti's shrieking voice finally got Casey to snap out of it. The brunette eventually managed to turn around to smile at her little stepsister, who was sitting on the couch watching cartoons.

"Marti, it's ok. I'm fine, really, don't worry. I'm just a bit tired. But…" Casey tried to stretch her neck to see if Derek was in the kitchen, but saw none. "…where's your brother?"

"In his room. He's not that much happy either, today."

"Marti, I told you, everything's fine, at least as long as I'm concerned. So… I'll go check on Derek now, he and I need to get some chores done for mom and George. I'll be back downstairs in a minute, k sweetey?"

"OK" thoroughly nodded the little girl, turning back to face the tv for a minute. As soon as she heard Casey climbing the first few steps of the staircase, she called her back. "Case? Dimi invited me to play at his house today. Can I go? Pwease?"

Casey slowly shut her eyes, a new, tidal wave of tiredness and exasperation rushing over her. "Great, so it's gonna be me vs the beast tonight" she thought to herself, whereas she simply nodded to the little girl.

x-x

Derek kept staring intently at the small chop of weed in his hand. He was waiting for Casey to get home so that he could finally leave Marti with her and finally get out of the house to smoke his dear pot. Thank goodness he was quick enough to hide the drug in his pocket as soon as he heard some steps heading towards his room. It was not too long before the door swung open and in came his stepsister.

"Der…"

"Hey" he simply said, getting up from the bed and deliberately _chosing_ to ignore the weariness in her voice. Quickly getting up from the bed, he swiftly proceeded to grab the leather jacket that was spread across his desk chair.

She tried to follow his every movement with her gaze. "Mom and George left us a list of chores to do, it's on the fr…"

"Yeah, whatever, do my part too, will ya Case?" he smirked, already walking past her towards the door. He knew that being forced to spend even just a few minutes with Casey would've meant giving her any chance to bring the drug issue back up with him, and sure as hell that was the last thing he wanted her to do at that very moment.

"Wait, what?" she shouted, spreading her arms wide apart in frustration. This was pretty much it for her. She had actually _hoped_ to be done with the chores in a couple of hours, so she could have the evening to herself, take a shower and just try to sleep everything off after such an emotionally draining day. But of course she hadn't thought about her stepbrother getting into the picture as his usual, infuriating self. "Derek, please, there's so much to do! You HAVE to help me!"

He turned around to grin at her mischievously, taking a few steps back towards his stepsister.

"Please… do I ever?"

Her lips curled into a pout for a split second, as she looked very indecisive as to what to say next. "Well, you did last night, though." She finally managed to breathe out, eyes quickly darting to the ground.

He let out a heavy sigh, closing the door behind him and moving back to sit onto the bed once again. There was no way he was escaping some big time conversation now, but a quick check on Casey's worn out eyes made him sure some further drama – some _major _drama – had been occurring between her and Max. And he just wasn't going to let such an opportunity pass him by.

"I knew you were gonna bring it up sooner or later."

"How couldn't I, Derek?" she tentatively sat next to him onto the mattress, expecting him to move away from her as they were only sitting a few inches apart and her voice had taken on that affectionate, caring tone he had always hated so much. Much to her disbelief, he sat still, his gaze blankly staring ahead of him as he didn't seem to take notice of her closeness. "Der… you got a problem. A damn serious problem and I wish I could…"

"Woah woah. Hold it right there. WE, as in the two of us, _both_ have each one a problem. You might think mine is a little different than yours, but still… you know that _I know_ you got a problem too." He stood up once again, placing himself right in front of her, arms crossed on his chest, as she swiftly lifted up her chin to meet his gaze.

"What is that supposed to mean?" she shook her head, unable to figure out what he was talking about.

"Yeah you're right, it's actually more than one single problem as far as you're concerned. Not only you just won't have sex with your so-called boyfriend, but most of all, which actually means getting to the core of everything in my opinion, you don't think you're worth enough to even just have sex in the first place."

Casey's jaw dropped, as she stood up to stare at him, speechless for a few seconds. He was doing that again. Playing subtle tricks on her mind so that he could get her to believe what he wanted her to.

She had noticed long before that this was Derek's new, sophisticated way of messing up with her. When they were fifteen and had first moved in together, her stepbrother's nagging on her only consisted of childish pranks, like putting honey in her shampoo, or jelly into her slippers. Rivalry and frustration were all that were lingering between the two of them, but at least it was something she could stand. She had learned to. She had learned to fight back and sabotage him.

She had learned not to hope to ever call it even with Derek Venturi.

But now, it was no longer honey and jelly. He'd just talk to her. That's what she dreaded the most now. Him talking to her. His voice would always have this mesmerizing, enchanting tone as his words would flow right into her clouded mind, digging black holes into her thoughts so that their logical sense would start leaking. He'd just submerge her with his soothing stream of innuendos and tacit implications, ultimately drawing her attention away from any of his misbehaviors. And right onto her personal issues.

Even just the look in his eyes, as he'd give voice to anything that had ever haunted her, would drive her crazy. It was as if he could see right through her, and she was nothing but a naked, lifeless puppet in his hands, so easy to manipulate without the slightest sense of remorse.

He didn't seem to care how dangerously deep he'd dig into her soul, and never even seemed to take any whatsoever pity on his stepsister, as he'd eventually leave her alone to deal with all the dark matter he would have brought to surface.

None of his emotions were involved into this sick game of his anymore, Casey was sure. He didn't even hate her anymore like he used to. She was just one of his many amusements.

"Derek. Hold on. Don't you try to…. Look, last time I checked, my sexual life was slightly less important compared to _your _drug addiction!"

"Shut up! You want Marti to hear?" he hissed, as he got closer to her, his darkened eyes piercing hers. "We're…" he breathed hard, biting the his lower lip, and for one, single moment he actually looked unsure as to what to say next. "We're talking about you now, Casey. We'll have all the time in the world to solve _my _problem – well, whatever you think is my problem – after we're done discussing yours. Which is actually _more _interesting, if you were to ask me."

"Der. This is none of your busin…"

"You don't think your body is attractive enough." He blurted out, cutting her off as he began to pace back and forth in the little empty space next to his bed. "You've probably somewhat figured you do look good, but you still keep thinking you're not the best out there. Or the best you could be. You constantly watch what you eat, and…"

"Yeah sure. Says the one who always calls me a fat ugly pig."

He immediately turned around to face her, frozen for a second. His features stiffened into a slightly disgusted expression, as he slightly shook his head. "I never called you that."

"Well, you often make me feel like one then." She crossed her arms on her chest, her head pointing downwards so that her forehead was casting a shadow over her bright blue eyes. She waited for his reply, her gaze still on the ground, but heard no words escape his mouth. Complete silence fell into the room for a few short seconds, and Casey couldn't help but think how the pause, alongside with the conversation itself, were becoming beyond unbearable. Then right out of the blue she felt a pair of strong hands push her down to the bed, her back violently hitting the mattrass before she even had the chance to process anything.

She pushed herself up on her elbows, her questioning eyes fixated on her stepbrother, standing tall right in front of the bed. She opened her mouth to say something, but Derek quickly leaned down so that their faces were leveled.

"It doesn't work like that, Casey, that's the point. You shouldn't wait for someone else to tell ya you're damn hot. You have to feel that you are. Having sex is not just about pleasing your partner. It makes you feel great because it reminds you that _you're_ good. That your body is something someone is longing for, and…" he paused for a few seconds, amused at her puzzled look as his infamous smirk crept up across his face. "I wanna show you something."

Casey's eyes widened in shock. "What the hell…" she gasped, but was soon cut off by her stepbrother once more.

"Oh please, save it. I just wanted to take you to the mall."

"But… the chores…"

"I'll do your part too, when we'll get back. Just come with me."

**A.N. Alright guys, I'm sorry this was probably a long chpt, I was actually planning on making it longer but I didn't want anyone to get bored, lol :D And I'm also sorry it took me so long to update, but adjusting to university has been rele hard for me…**

**Anyways, I'm glad I eventually came up with loads of new ideas for the fic, just wait until tomorrow to find out what happens at the mall (hopefully it wont take me longer to write the next chpt, as I already pretty much have everything sorted out already in my mind) .**

**Thanks for your support, guys, don't forget to review!**

**P.S. Do you think rating should go up? Maybe things are getting too heated up here. I still think it could easily be considered as T rated, but just you know… lemme know if ya think I should make it M-rated.**


	6. Chapter 6

After quickly dropping Marti at Dimi's house, Casey only barely registered Derek driving her to the mall and dragging her around it for a while, pulling her by the arm before he finally stopped in front of the last shop she had expected him to be looking for.

"A girl's clothes shop? Is that it? You want me to buy new clothes? What the hell is your…"

"Hush." He quickly silenced her "I just want to carry out a little experiment, you know."

Casey rolled her eyes, a heavy sigh of frustration escaping her lips as she thought that was pretty much it for her. After such a horrible day at school giving in to one of Derek's pointless ideas was nowhere near what she needed at the moment. She was tired. She was beyond tired. A feeling she had long grown accustomed to, had already begun to rush over her once more. The kind of numbness that would never fail to embrace her every time she'd realize anything about her perfect self wasn't actually perfect at the end of the day, and there'd be nothing she could do to change that fact.

All that had occurred with Max was still lingering in her mind, a constant reminder of how she couldn't keep what she thought to be their fairy-tale from falling to pieces. Deep down, she had always known he was no prince, and probably never loved her half as purely as she had always dreamed of, but denying such a defeating truth had now become much harder than before.

"Derek, I'm really not up to this." She sighed, giving voice to all the weariness within her. "Please. Let's just go home. I'll do all the chores, but please… I couldn't possibly stand any more humiliation for today."

"Case…" he gently grasped her arms, spinning her around so that she could look at him. "Case. Believe it or not, I actually intend for this to make you feel better. To make you feel _good_. Y' know… about yourself, mostly."

"Yeah, sure. You have always made it quite clear how much you hate my attitudes… the way I am… let's just say that I plainly disgust you in general. Then why in the world would you ever want – or even expect – for me to be ok with myself?"

Derek paused for a few seconds, pondering what to say next. He simply couldn't seem to find a precise answer to that question. It finally dawned on him that everything he had in mind to mess up with her long dormant instincts was sure going to amuse him, but at the end of the day it was - most likely - truly meant to be for her own good indeed. He was actually helping her, or at least he was going to.

A fog of uncertainty clouded his mind as he kept staring into her expecting eyes.

"Because…" He finally managed to choke out, his gaze piercing her. "_Because you always wish for other people to get what you can't have_."

x-x

"There is no way I'm stepping out of this dressing room. And there's even less chance I'm ever going to let anyone, especially you, see me wearing this."

Derek smirked as he placed himself better on the red, velvety couch he was sitting on, right in front of the changing room Casey's voice was coming from. "Yes you are. Come on. I've seen what you look like in the morning. Nothing can be worse than that."

The door opened slightly and out came Casey. She tentatively walked towards him, the high heels at her feet making it difficult for her to keep herself balanced. Her slender thighs were modestly clutched together as she was _wide _aware of how the black leather miniskirt she was wearing was exposing too much skin for her liking.

Derek stared intently at her figure, his eyes wandering over her legs, before a slight grin crept up across his face. "Uh, Case, there's no point in wearing that top if you keep your arms crossed on your chest."

Casey rolled her eyes, exasperation rushing over her once more. She had already had enough. He was just making fun of her for the umpteenth time, she knew that. His gaze was burning on her skin as she barely felt like she was wearing any clothes at all. Defeated, she simply sighed, slowly shutting her eyes before she eventually gave in and let her arms fall limp at her sides. "Please, don't let this torture last any longer…" she pleaded, too tired to protest more fiercely.

Derek found himself smiling widely, satisfied at how light was beaming on the velvety skin of her breasts, barely covered by a tight red lacy top. He slowly got up from the couch, cautiously walking towards her. The top she was wearing was only down to her ribcage, and the silky skin of her stomach hypnotized him like an antique incantation. He stood still for a moment, their bodies only inches apart.

He could tell she was beyond uncomfortable. Lights were just too bright in the room, which was partially separated from the rest of the shop by just a thin wall, and other people would come in from time to time in order to use the dressrooms too, their seldom presence causing Casey some more discomfort.

She was almost shaking, unable to tolerate his gaze constantly fixated on her body, and the unusual feeling of letting anyone see her so exposed: vulnerability was nothing Casey MacDonald's perfection was suited for.

"Der, please, you had your fun. Let's just…"

"Nope. You see, that's the thing. You think I'm the only person who could possibly have fun having you dress up like this."

"You're right. It's actually you and any other perv within…"

"UH! Wrong answer, try again. Wait, no, I'll tell ya" he smirked once more, holding out his hand as if he was about to touch her. She looked at him questioningly, somewhat taken aback by his sudden closeness. 

And for the slightest second, Derek actually pondered giving in to his urge to know what the skin on her abdomen could feel like on his fingertips, but he eventually resolved to just place both his hands on her hips, the crest of her iliac bone pressing against his palms.

"You see, I personally think the hips of a woman are one of the most powerful weapons in the world. I just wonder how could you possibly _not _be compelled to know what it feels like, seeing a man crumble down for yours."

The husky tone in his voice was something she was used to hear only at night, when she would eavesdrop on him and Sally through the vents. She had no idea Derek could feel the fascination of a woman's body so strongly, let alone admit it could hold any whatsoever power over him. She thought that his womanizer attitude had always kept him from actually stop and truly contemplate the beauty – and all that could come along with beauty - within any of the girls he'd ever had. But finally, there he was: something seemingly affecting him at last after a very long time.

"Uhm. I just don't see why I should…" she breathed hard, slowly tilting her head down to see his hands still caressing her hips. "Uhm.. Der, let go of me…"

"Don't tell me you never wished to have the same power over Max as he has over your life. Finally switching parts. Having _him_ be the one to fucking dread you ever walking out on his life."

Casey's vision suddenly blurred as tears watered her eyes. She swiftly pressed her tiny hands onto his chest, trying to push him away from her, only to have him taking a hold of her even more firmly.

Rage was running through her veins as she knew that was the final straw. He was deliberately doing it again. She kept struggling within his grasp, quivering with his every word as he leaned in some more, grabbing both her wrists with his hands to keep her from hitting him.

"It's not me you're mad at, Casey. You know that_. I_ knew that from the minute I saw you stepping into my room today. You're upset and disgusted and you think it's all because of who you are and the way he thinks you are. And.."

A violent stream of thoughts was racing through her mind as countless, raw emotions washed over her all at once. Every inch of her body was tingling with rage and the skin on her wrists was burning beneath Derek's grasp, all the strength she thought she was running on empty on that day suddenly coming back to her in tidal waves of madness. Through her clouded vision she tried to look at him, and the challenging grin on his face set her on fire all the more. "Derek, stop!" she shouted, her whole body pushing against his with such force that he fell backwards onto the couch, taking her along for the fall as well.

Derek finally grew quiet all at once. He looked at her for a few seconds, gently releasing his hold on her wrists. She was still panting erratically, her raging thoughts finally floating away upon realizing she had finally got him to shut up.

"See, Case?" he smirked as he gently tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear. "This is actually what sex should be like. War up until the other surrenders…"

x-x

Casey stared at the bag on her lap, still unable to speak a word as she sat back on the passenger seat. "Der?"

He turned to look at her for a brief second, before his eyes darted back to the road ahead of him. "Mm-hm?"

"Uhm, just… I just wanted to thank you for the dress. It's really beautiful." Her hands stroked the soft, black fabric inside the bag, before letting her gaze wander over the contours of his face. His jaw was clenched in concentration, his eyes dark with thoughts as he kept driving in silence.

But his hands were what never failed to fascinate Casey. Despite the light skin tone, they always looked so manly as the fingers curled around the steering wheel, every morning as they'd drive to school.

She couldn't help but think of what his grip had felt like on her hips only an hour prior. There had been a moment in the shop where she'd thought all the rage within her was going to ultimately take over and she was losing it for good, never coming back to her senses again. But the feeling of his firm hands on her bare skin had brought her back to reality, as she knew he would have never allowed her to go any further than he had intended her to.

"Uhm… well, don't mention it. I told you you're helping me out as well."

His voice shook her out of her thoughts, but it was only a matter of seconds before a new questioning look appeared on her face. "Uh, pardon?"

"Think of it this way: if I use my money to buy you a dress, then, I won't be able to use it to buy me weed. Simple as that."

She let out a shaky breath. Her unspoken questions filled the air gap between them as he gently stopped the car in front of Dimi's house.

Derek finally turned around to look at her. Her face was still a flushed shade of pink as she was looking out of the car window, the street lights reflecting into little sparkles on her cheeks. But the irregular motions of her ragged breathing revealed her silent crying.

He reluctantly raised his hand, tentatively brushing the back of her head with his fingers as a few more sobs escaped her lips. At that very moment, memories came flooding back to him. The back seat of the Prince. His long, blond curls hanging before his eyes. The tear stains on his jeans. His Dad sitting in front.

"_You're old enough to understand you need to keep it together for Marti's sake_." He said, his voice sounding so distant, as if those words had been echoing within him before he spoke them.

x-x

Dinner was unbelievably quiet that night, and even George sensed that wasn't entirely due to Edwin and Lizzie's absence. Derek barely touched the food on his plate, and that alone was enough to arise conspicuous suspicions. And even though she was trying her best not to get her Mom to worry, Casey's voice as she told the family about her newest science project didn't sound quite as excited as it would've normally been.

Therefore, later that night, Casey found herself sighing in relief seeing as it was past eleven and her Mom was surely not going to come up to talk to her anymore. So there she lay on her bed, eyes wide open, hoping for sleep to embrace her soon, when she heard a small knock on her door.

Before she had time to say anything, in came Derek, wearing nothing but an old sweat shirt and his night boxers. He stood still for a moment, seemingly unsure of what to do next, until he eventually motioned for her to take the chocolate bar he'd been holding in his hands.

"Uhm, let me guess, your secret food storage?" she raised an eyebrow, slightly moving to make him some room on her bed.

"Look, uhm, just figured you would've liked it. It's your favorite flavor. Hazelnut. C'mon. I know you can't say no to hazelnut." He smirked, coming to sit next to her on the matrass. "Wait… forget about the chocolate.I…"

"Please. How could I possibly forget about hazelnut chocholate?"

He let the sound of her laughter echo within him as he saw her ripping the chocolate bar open with her teeth. The light of the lamp on her nightstand enhanced the blue shade of her eyes, making them glow to the point that Derek found it hard to believe there had been tears in them only a few hours prior.

"Ok, alright. Glad you liked it." He looked around the room, as if he was actually contemplating the thought of leaving just like that.

Her voice softened instantly, a little smile creeping up across her face at the sight of how uncomfortable he looked. "Der… is there anything else you want to tell me?"

"Yeah. Uhm. I didn't mean to make you cry. You know, uh, Ijust didn't want you to get that upset. And I'm sorry I didn't… uh… comfort you afterwards, I guess? And yes, you may officially consider this an apology."

She let out a sigh, crossing her legs and putting the chocolate bar on her bedside table before eventually resolving to look at him. "I wasn't crying because of what.. uhm… what happened back at the mall. Uh… I just… I was just tired. Today wasn't exactly my best day ever."

"And I just added even extra pressure to you."

"Well, yeah you did. _But things were going bad way before you got into the picture_."

The last statement clicked in Derek's mind, a new wave of memories washing over him once more. He clutched his fists together, his eyes quickly darting to stare at the blank wall ahead of him. He could feel her gaze wandering over his expressionless face in search of anything that could reveal his thoughts, so he quickly managed to think of a few questions to blurt out.

"Uhm, uh… what exactly happened today? Max picked up a fight with you, didn't he?" pure concern darkened his face, though, as he spoke. "Did he dare to hurt you physically?"

"No, no, he didn't. He's just really, really mad at me. And probably broke up with me."

"What did the scumbag say?"

"Not to touch him again until I was willing to do it to… uhm, you know…"

Derek sat still as he silently watched tears forming into her eyes once more, although she had quickly bent her head down in hope he wouldn't see her crying again. He tried to convince himself he was truly feeling sorry for her. That he was actually grasping the magnitude of the hurt she was in. But deep down he couldn't help but think there was no way anyone was ever going to fully understand anybody else's pain. It was something he had long come to terms with. He felt as if everyone had their own vortex of emptiness to be on the edge of, and there was no way he was ever going to reach out for anyone else when all he'd have in sight would be his own pit of blankness.

Nonetheless, he did manage to stretch his hand out to touch her bare foot, rubbing soothing circles on her skin. "Case, uhm… you don't really need me to tell you what I'm thinking of him right now to realize how much of a dickhead he is."

She looked up, her eyes still watery as she searched for his. "Yeah but still… I mean, what's wrong with me? Why can't I feel the urge to be with him physically, too?"

"Case…" he took a hold of her knee, slightly leaning in. "Case. What I wanted to prove you at the mall is that there's nothing wrong with you. You can be both seducing _and_ seducible. You have no idea of how… uhm, unleashed… you looked when you pinned me onto that couch."

"Derek, I was _not_ turned on!" she shouted, only to be cut off by Derek quickly pressing one hand onto her mouth, cupping the back of her head with the other.

"No, listen, before you wake the whole family up. It's not about getting turned on. It's about letting go, you see, that's a whole lotta different. Personally, I think that your main problem is that you keep thinking there is no way you can lose control over anything in your life. Everything has to be perfect and neat and possibly planned out long ahead. Well, Case, sex doesn't work like that. It's actually the complete opposite."

He felt her lower lip quiver beneath his fingers, which were still hardly pressed against her mouth. Leaning over some more, he let his gaze fixate onto her eyes, smirking as he pushed her face even closer. "Sex happens when you suddenly feel imperfect. Like, as if you were missing something. And you strive throughout it all until you feel perfect and whole again."

He slowly let go of the back of her head, taking his time to remove his other hand from her mouth, his fingers carefully brushing against her lips. "Sex is _dirt_, Casey. And most of all, it's unpredictable. You can't decide when it's going to happen. It just… happens"

She tried her best to keep her breathing to a normal pace as she let his whispers echo within her mind. The emphasis which he had put on the word 'dirt' and the husky tone in his voice had caused her to blush visibly, and she mentally cursed herself realizing there was no way she could hide it.

She finally found it in herself to look her at him, his lips still curled into a grin as he stared back at her.

"Der..?"

"Yeah, Case?"

"Uhm… what… what was it like when it… when it first happened to you? Were you… were you really not scared?"

He let out a small laugh as he saw utter embarrassment darken her face as she choked out the questions. He let his gaze wander around the room, trying to let recollect the memories.

"Uhm, I guess that was… way way back in the day" he chuckled "Uhm, no, I wasn't scared. I just didn't know what to expect from the whole thing, though, so… I guess I was definitely nervous." His smirk grew even wider as he knew she was trying her best to keep herself from asking for further details. Amusedly giving in to her unspoken curiosity, he went on: "I had just turned fifteen. It was, uhm, one month before Dad and Nora got married, or something like that. There was this girl I had been hanging out with. She was sixteen. Like I said, it just happened. One day I just went to her house to pick her up. But instead we ended up in her room and, well… that was when the D-legend was born."

She rolled her eyes at his last comment, unable to keep herself from chuckling along with him, though. "Were you her first too?"

"No. But that never bothered me."

Casey slowly nodded. She couldn't keep but smiling at the fact that that was probably the first time Derek had ever opened up to her. She was simply delighted at the sincerity in his voice as he went through his memories. There was no trick, she could tell he was just genuinely recounting his experience. And the halo of innocence surrounding his words was nothing she had ever expected to radiate from her stepbrother.

"Did you love her, Derek?"

"No." he didn't frown, but she could feel his expression had slightly darkened. "No, I didn't. I just… I just needed someone to be there for me back then. She was." His eyes moved once more to stare at the wall in front of him, his fingers fidgeting with the hem of his shirt as he imperceptibly shook his head.

"You don't love Sally either." She simply stated, matter-of-factly. Her legs were brought up to her chest and her chin was buried between her knees, defensively. "Do you?"

He looked back at her, taking in what she had just said. He never thought she'd ever have the guts to confront him that openly, yet there she was, half expectantly and half worriedly waiting for his reaction.

"Uh, I think we've gone a little bit too personal here." He muttered, utterly annoyed at the question. "Me and Sally is me and Sally, period. And plus I don't see why I'm the hot topic now. I thought we were talking about you and Max."

"How come I don't get to tell you my opinion about you and Sally, whereas you can say whatever you want about me and Max?" she suddenly spoke up, straightening her back as she looked up to him. "Why do you…"

"Just because you _want _me to help you out with this."

**A.N. = alright guys, sorry it took me longer than I expected, but I had a few tests going on at uni and plus I came up with a few changes for whats going to come next in the plot, so I had to rethink this chpt over. Hope you liked it, don't forget to review! Love hearing your opinion, and if you have any suggestions, go ahead, tell me!**

**PS: rating will most likely go up within the next two chptrs, so… be ready to find this in the m section sooner or later. **


	7. Chapter 7

The loud sound of her alarm clock caused her to flick her eyes open. "Uh… Der?" she mumbled, a hand reaching out to pat the empty spot next to her on her bed. Yawning, she finally found it in herself to sit up. "What…"

She quickly shook her head as memories from the night before began to surface in her mind. Her mentioning Sally had been enough for him to shut her out of his private universe once again and leave just like that. Frowning slightly, and trying to ignore the incommensurable tiredness she was still feeling, she got up from the bed and lazily walked her way out of her room.

Surprisingly enough, she found nobody lining up to use the bathroom, so it wasn't too long before she was done taking her morning shower. Hair still dripping wet and with only a towel around her naked form, she quickly got back to the secrecy of her room.

"Why in the world is everybody so quiet today…" she wondered to herself as she slid into her clean panties. She randomly picked a bra from the drawer and put it on, not seeming to notice how mismatched her lingerie was.

Indeed, Casey had never cared about her underwear, except for the times Derek had put jelly or honey in it, of course. All she thought she had ever needed was for her undergarments to be comfortable and functional, so she would mostly wear plain white cotton bras and panties, much to her boyfriend's dismay. She and Max had once had "a little fight" over her underwear, with Max asking for Casey's lingerie to get a little bit more 'daring' and Casey complaining a girl's body being beautiful no matter what items of clothing it has on.

Of course Max never seemed to understand her feminist attitude.

She was about to go through her wardrobe to pick up a shirt and a pair of jeans when she heard the door open and close behind her. Jolting, she turned to see her stepbrother standing there, barely holding in a laugh. "Oh no, please tell me you don't usually wear mismatched lingerie."

Casey froze, unable to speak as she felt her cheeks burning. Looking down to let her eyes quickly dart over her body shamefully, she promptly tried to cover herself crossing her arms against her tiny form. "DE-REK! GET OUT!"

"Keep it down, sis, the 'rents and Marti are still sleeping. Because guess what, missy, it's Saturdaaay!" He teased in a sing song voice as he calmly walked past her to go sit on her bed.

" Oh man, why does this have to happen _every _Saturday…" She slapped her forehead, mentally cursing herself for not unsetting the alarm clock the night before. "Anyways, Derek, STILL! I'm in my underwear, just get out!" she shouted, rage radiating from her face as she tried to reach for her night-shirt on her bed, only to find Derek promptly grabbing her wrist.

"Case, chill. I see you in your swimsuit every time you go swimming in Emily's pool. Your bikini is no different than what you're wearing now. Possibly, it's actually more exposing than… uhm, this? Just… were your eyes open when you put those things on?"

"It's just underwear, Der." She muttered in annoyance, shaking herself free from his grasp.

"It's a burgundy bra over white cotton – I mean, _cotton - _ panties. I say it's a sexual suicide."

Casey coldly glared at him, refusing to believe he was probably thinking about taking over and advise her on underwear choices. It was only 8 in the morning and no way was she gonna stand any more Derek sticking his nose into her private matters. "Look, Derek, before I finally kill you…"

"The sight of your underwear is already doing the job for you, Case, don't worry. Now, if you only…"

"Derek. Derek, please, just… stop."

He promptly brought his gaze up to her face, staring intently at her eyes as he let the sound of her broken voice echo within him. The sudden reality of the situation hit him like an ocean exploding as he fully took in his surroundings: there she was, standing so small and thin in front of him and finally giving up trying to hide the incommensurable weariness in her eyes. Her whole, defenseless body was pleading him to go, to leave her alone, and he almost could hear the silent scream of her fingers clutching the skin on her sides ever so tightly as she kept her arms crossed against her stomach.

He tentatively stepped back, quickly reaching out to squeeze his fists around the headboard slats of her bed before a vague feeling, which he remotely identified with guilt anymore, rushed over him. As he refused to take his gaze away from her shaking form, his eyes fixating on the tears that were beginning to run down her cheeks, he felt as if all the innocence radiating from that defenseless body in front of him would've been enough to make up for all the sins in the world – all of those, except his.

"Do you ever hurt, Derek?"

The aseptic sound of her voice pronouncing those words brought him back to reality, yet he still remained silent and only kept staring at her, motionless.

"I said" she paused for a few seconds, her eyes quickly darting to look out of the window as she bit her lower lip, in order to hopefully prevent any more tears from falling. "I said, do you ever hurt, Derek?"

"Case…"

"Do you ever feel like yelling to the top of your lungs because your whole chest feels like as if you were burning from the inside, yet you just open your mouth and all that comes out is… breath? Fucking meaningless air?"

He let her shout the last words so vehemently in his face, barely trying to hold her by her forearms as she pounded her little fists against his chest.

"I'm hurting, Derek, I'm fucking hurting like hell and I just wish you could see I'm no freakin' guinea pig you can run your little sex experiments on, right now! I'm starting to doubt all the logical and all the meaning my life ever had... and I'm tired to just give in to your sick games so that you can have your morning fun!"

She struggled herself free from his weak grasp and reached out for her night shirt lying across her bed. "You know, I'm beginning to think you must be no human." She bitterly uttered as she finally covered herself. "There's just no pity, no… anything that could possibly make me think you know what suffering is like. Because if you did…"

"THEN WHAT?" he suddenly shouted, turning around to face her once more. His face was flushed and Casey had to find it in herself not to jolt in fear for his reaction.

"Then what, Case? How would me having had my personal load of shit ever make your hell a better place? Boo-hoo Case, you might think you're smart, but there's this huge, dark truth you still have to figure out: hurting is like dying, people only stick around you while there's still light, and as soon as that's gone they'll only ever do as much as bury you- possibly even more."

"Der, I'm…"

"You're what?" he hissed, stepping closer to her. "You're sorry now? Well I should be too, then. Would that change anything? No. Would you still be hurting? Definitely. Would…"

He was unable to finish the sentence as his vision blurred and he felt his hands burning, and it took him quite some time before his breath finally stopped coming out in raspy pants. So there they stood, both silent for a few minutes as the two of them tried their best to keep it together.

Although his eyes were fixated on the wall behind her, he tried to carefully listen to her breathing as he realized the shallow sound had a soothing power over him.

"I know you do."

He slowly looked up upon realizing she had finally spoken. "Uh?"

"I know you hurt, too. I don't know why I asked you if you ever did. I guess I just wanted to upset you. You always do that to me. You always touch any raw nerve."

Her voice was merely audible, and although he still refused to look at her, he could picture – he could feel – her shiny eyes looking at him so vividly that he knew he'd be blinded by their light if he only ever tried to look back. "Well, you got me then. Thumbs up for you." He choked out, his voice sounding low and unspeakably tired.

"It's just that… you never tell me anything about you."

"Funny, Sally says the exact same words too all the time. If I don't talk about my personal shit with my girlfriend, what makes you think I should tell _you_ about it?"

She slowly closed her eyelids, letting the sarcasm in his voice swallow her thoughts. "Because… I'm_ family_, Der?"

He grinned widely, still questioning whether what she had just said was supposed to be a question rather than a statement. "Please… the last time I thought I had a family I was nine and even back then I wasn't even that sure about the whole thing anyways".

And with that, he simply stormed out of her room, leaving her alone with her devouring thoughts.

x-x

When Casey finally found it in herself to get downstairs for breakfast, she found Nora, George and Marti sitting around the table in the living room, skype-ing with Lizzie and Edwin. She had briefly interrupted the conversation to ask about Derek's whereabouts, only to find out her stepbrother was going to spend the day out with Sally.

Before she even had the chance to take notice, she had involuntarily let out a sigh of frustration upon realizing she was not going to speak to him again until at least later that night. Questions were still invading her mind as she brought her breakfast upstairs to eat it in her room, but before she could taste a spoonful of her oatmeal, her phone rang.

"Hey Em, what's up?"

"Tell me how lucky you are to have me as your best friend."

"Em…" Casey chuckled, finally allowing herself to start eating. "Just spit it out – whatever it is"

"Uh, girl! _I_ just got the two of us an invitation to Troy McLivory's party tonight!"

"Uhm… a party? C'mon Em I'm not exactly in the mood for a …"

"Case! This is not just a party, this is THE party! We just have to go! It'll ruin our social life if we don't! and plus… you shouldn't let Max keep you from living your own life. You hear me, the two of us just go have some fun tonight, and having a good time will probably help you clear your mind a bit too… Jus t you know we could…"

Emily kept ranting for what seemed the longest time, but Casey wasn't listening anymore any ways. Max. The only sound of that name had been enough for her push her bowl of oatmeal away from her, as she had begun to feel her stomach turn into knots. She hadn't planned to see him again at least until Monday, let alone meet him at a party – a party where for the first time in months, he would've gone stag to.

She herself couldn't picture entering a crowded room without his strong arms tightly clutching her waist, anymore. Surely, he'd always keep nagging about how she wouldn't take alcohol or do anything overdaring, but his presence made the partying crowd look all the less scary to her, and she almost felt safe as he'd hold her while dancing.

He was gonna go, Casey quickly assumed, as she knew all too well Max would've never missed any of his teammates' parties. But most likely, he wasn't expecting her to go without him, she also estimated. And soon enough she found herself wondering whether he had already found some chick to place beside him in her lieu for the night. She morbidly questioned how sharp the pain of seeing him completely deceive her would've been and before she could process anything, she simply blurted out : "Fine, Em, I'll go with you"

x-x

Derek was lying back in the front seat of the Prince, his lost stare wandering over the woods surrounding the car as he could barely hear Sally asking him to help her found her bra.

"Must be somewhere in the backseat. Chill."

She simply sighed as she ultimately resigned to only put on her shirt. "Der, you're still naked. It's getting cold. You should get dressed."

He threw his head back some more, closing his eyes as he felt his body warmer than ever, his core feeling almost liquid as he stretched a bit. "Do you ever think about my seed?"

"What?"

"All the sperm we waist when we have sex. All the potential that goes dying somewhere in a garbage bin inside a freaking condom."

Her bright eyes stared at him in shock, horrified at the seriousness his face was still displaying. She tried to say something but he quickly silenced her with a swift kiss.

"It's ok. I know you never thought about that. But it's still ok. Everything is ok. We wouldn't want a little leafy tree growing inside you, don't you think?"

Sally didn't know how, but she actually found the strength not to burst into sobs as she leaned in to cup his face with both her hands. Her gaze traced every contour of his face and despite his chapped, dried lips and his bloodshot eyes, she would've still climbed on top of the world to swear to God nothing had ever looked more perfect than him in her eyes. Sharp pain numbed the loneliness she felt at the very moment she realized he seemed to see right through her and her presence wasn't any more real to him than the fog clouding his mind.

"I love you, Derek Venturi." She daintly kissed him, relief rushing over her as she was sure there was no way he was going to remember what she had just said.

x-x

It was already 9 pm when Casey and Emily got to the McLivory's household.

"I can't believe you wore Converse sneakers. _And_ jeans." Emily muttered under her breath, glaring coldly at Casey as they made their way through the dancing crowd, across the huge living room. "It's just.. just…"

"A sexual suicide, I know." Casey sighed, slightly annoyed as she kept looking around herself, in hope – or fear – to spot Max, who was still nowhere to be seen. That was sure something a part of her wanted to feel relieved for, yet she couldn't help but wonder where he was hiding out, because he sure as hell had to be in that mess of a house.

She was shaken out of her thoughts as Emily pulled her by the arm. "Alright Case, let's just go leave our jackets upstairs and… oh my gosh don't look his way but… Jerry Norton is..."

Before the brunette could finish the sentence, a tall, blonde boy had already stepped closer to her, giving the girl the widest smile. "Hey Emily… wanna go take a drink?"

"Uh… I'd love to, Jerry, but I'm here with…"

"Don't worry Em" Casey quickly interrupted, genuinely happy to see her friend was getting the attention she had always craved for. "I'll take your jacket upstairs and then just hang around here…"

"But…"

"No buts, c'mon, go!"

Eyes still not leaving her best friend's happy face as Emily headed towards the kitchen with Jerry, Casey kept smiling as she climbed up the stairs. Soon she found herself standing the only bedroom door she found open and had a light on, but she couldn't bring herself to walk in as she heard familiar voices coming from inside the room.

"How can girls trust leaving their purses here? I mean anybody could just steal whatever they wanted and nobody would notice with all the mess…"

"Then just be glad you're not a girl who has to worry about her purse, Derek."

Casey froze, just like she would do every night in her bed as she'd hear those voices through the vents. She could tell the two of them had recently made love: Sally still had that soothing, sweet tone that sounded nothing like Derek's own after-sex rudeness. Casey held her breath as she kept listening in silence, guilt already building up at the pitch of her stomach as it'd always do whenever she felt like intruding the secrecy of their lusting whispers.

"I heard you, Sal."

"I'm standing right here, you dummie, of course you…"

"No, I mean, back in the car, this morning. You said you loved me."

"I always try to tell you that I love you. But you always stop me"

"This time was different. You thought I couldn't hear you. But I did. And it sounded… it sounded damn sincere to me."

"Pot, Derek. Everything feels genuine with pot."

Casey gasped, and at that very moment she knew she was going to have a hard time trying to convince herself it was only worry for his drug use.

She could damn tell he was ready. He was ready to discuss his feelings or whatever it was that she had always tried to get him to do without ever succeeding. And he was ready to open up to Sally. To a girl that did drugs with him and that he fucked senselessly every night and that just made him feel real.

"_Because, I am family, Der?"_

Her own words words echoed in Casey's mind with the gravity of a verdict as her eyes widened in the dark. Her chest was burning for the lack of air she was forcing upon herself by holding her breath once more as she heard Derek begin to speak again, but before he could say a word, a pair of strong, firm hands grabbed her by the shoulder, gently turning her around.

"Casey!"

She jolted in surprise, and so did Derek and Sally who rushed out of the room, only to find Max cupping the girl's face ever so gently, barely taking notice of the couple's presence.

**A.N: alright guys, I know this chapter was like super long so if you managed to go through all of it I applaud you no doubt xD anyways, it was actually supposed to be longer but then I decided to just create a chpt 8 already… which will be up soon!**

**In the meantime, review guys! U know how that makes me happy **

**Love always**

**Daniela**


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